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Eager to force a vote on the 830,000-barrel-per-day Keystone XL oil pipeline, U.S. senators like Mary Landrieu, D-LA, believe that it’s “time to stop studying and start building.”

However, partisan debates and a parliamentary maneuver prevented that from happening. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-NV, blocked what some call a sneaky bid by supporters to include a pipeline measure in an energy efficiency bill in the Senate, The Associated Press reported. The blockage came after Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky turned down the chance to field an up-or-down on the energy bill with a promise from Reid that a separate Keystone vote would follow.

On Thursday, MSNBC’s The Ed Show invited U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, D-CO, and Ring of Fire’s Mike Papantonio to examine the failure of the vote and its political implications.

Comments

kaythemama

Republicans aren’t voting for the middle class. They are voting for their rich supporters (do you know how much Koch oil would go through Keystone?) while once again polluting the water and land that belongs to us all.

ThisOldMan

Duh. You’d have to be shooting up tea to believe otherwise!

Janearthlover

Yet Obama stood in Cushing OK and pushed the Southern leg of KXL that is online pushing that exact same tarsands through it right now. So it would seem he supports the Kochs as well.

RHytonen

“The Middle Class” -IS- what he calls “The Far Left.”
-in other words, what used to be the far right.

Trombonedadio

Why not do something right for all classes – not burn petroleum to create energy?

Jim Spillane

The oil and gas will be put on tankers, and sent to Canada’s new oil partner(. yes, canada and commie china are now partners, with commie china buying into the pipeline). Did you really think it was coming here to make our gas cheaper? What planet you on, Kolob??

Bruce

Whale-oil lamps are making a comeback; I believe Landrieu should be rendered for Her BLUBBER!

JackLinks

Wow Bruce, that’s really a original name you have in big capital letters! How long did it take for you to think it up?

wifather2000

This pipeline will actually raise the cost of petroleum products for ALL Americans!

willymack

What I’d like to know is why the president is mum on the Keystone pipeline so late in the going.
It’s difficult to believe he’s still up in the air on this, so why the stall?
Is there a veto proof majority in congress in favor of this travesty or what?
If this is the case the senate vote should be blocked.
The rethugs would understand; they do it all the time.

nick quinlan

Waiting until November elections are done

JackLinks

“In politics, stupidity is not a handicap.”

Napoleon

Janearthlover

It’s a trans-national pipeline. Congress has no say on it. Of course if Obama had just said NO to the Northern leg already this wouldn’t be an issue. But then, with all the other pipelines crossing this country already NEITHER party is absolved from being accomplices in the toxic poisoning of our country.

3Buttocks

If they use the Canadian oil as fracking fluid in the US, we won’t run out of fresh water.

pakilolo

We are all responsible for this travesty. We are all addicted to our cars – to our instant lifestyle – to our entertainment culture – to our Religion of Money . We are all responsible. I am responsible and am stuck in our capitalistic system in the pursuit of pleasure. We do not respect or love the planet that sustains us. The XL Pipeline is a natural outcome of capitalism. We gave China our good paying jobs – made them our bankers with outrageous debt – and now we are sell off our resources to that communistic country. China is using our dollars to buy US property and any business that’s for sale. Why did we fight the cold war with Russia if we were going to be the servant of China? Facing the truth is hard. We are all responsible. Time to wake up. Time for change.